How Much Does It Cost to Mount a Duck or Goose?

If you're wondering how much it costs to mount a duck, the short answer is that a duck mount starts around $300. Most of the published price lists we looked at this fall put common ducks like mallards, teal, wood ducks and wigeon somewhere between $300 and $575. Geese run higher. Snow, blue, Ross's and specklebelly geese came in around $400 to $675, and a Canada goose ran anywhere from $475 to $1,100.

Where your bird lands in that range comes down to the species, the pose, the habitat, where you live, and the taxidermist doing the work. Here's how it breaks down, and the one part of it that's actually in your hands.

How much does it cost to mount a duck?

In our experience, a duck mount usually runs $300 to $600. The published price lists we checked this fall lined up with that, with most ducks between $300 and $575.

If you've read older numbers, they ran lower. Ducks Unlimited put ducks at "at least $250" back in 2017. Prices have climbed since then, and honestly that makes sense when you look at what goes into a good mount.

A duck mount isn't a product coming off a line. It's hours of skilled, hands-on work from someone who has spent years learning how to make a bird look alive again. Getting every feather to lay right, getting the head and posture to look natural, building a piece you'll want on your wall for years. That's craftsmanship and art, plus real materials, and it's worth paying for.

How much does it cost to mount a goose?

Goose mount cost depends a lot on which goose you're talking about. On the price lists we looked at this fall:

• Snow, blue, Ross's and specklebelly geese ran about $400 to $775.
• Canada geese ran about $475 to $1,100.

That Canada goose range is wide, and that's normal. It's a big bird, and a big bird in a flying pose is a very different job than a smaller bird in a simple one. Same story as ducks on the older numbers too. Ducks Unlimited had Canada geese at up to $600 in 2017, and the top end has moved up since.

If you're after something even bigger, like a sandhill crane or a turkey, you're usually looking at $1,200 to $1,400.

What changes the price of a duck or goose mount

No two shops price exactly the same, but these are the things that move the number:

• Species and size. A teal and a Canada goose are not the same amount of bird, or the same amount of work.
• Pose. Standing, flying and wall-hanging flying mounts are all priced differently, and the more involved the pose, the more it usually costs.
• Habitat and base. A simple base is one thing. A bird set in cattails or on a piece of driftwood takes more time and more material.
• Region. Prices vary depending on where you live.
• The taxidermist. Skill and reputation matter, and so does backlog. A shop that's great at what they do is usually busy, and good work is worth the wait.

The best thing you can do is call your taxidermist, tell them the species and the pose you have in mind, and ask.

The part you control: the condition of your bird

You don't set the price, and you don't do the mounting. But you do control what shows up on the taxidermist's bench.

A bird that arrives clean, intact and properly frozen gives your taxidermist the best raw material to work with. The head, bill and feet are the most exposed parts of the bird, and they're the parts most likely to dry out and get freezer burned if they're left unprotected. That's especially worth thinking about when your taxidermist has a backlog and your bird might sit in the freezer a while before it's their turn.

We won't turn this into a full how-to here, since we already have field-care guides for that:

• How to preserve a duck for mounting
• How to preserve a goose for mounting the right way
• How to preserve a sandhill crane for mounting before you breast it out

Protect the bird until it gets there

This is why Mitch and I started Tagged and Bagged. Our preservation kits don't replace your taxidermist. They keep your bird mount-ready for them. The towelettes keep the head, bill and feet from drying out and freezer burning, and the preservation bag holds the whole bird once the air is squeezed out and it goes in the freezer.

• The Duck Preservation Kit ($24.99) keeps your duck mount-ready for the taxidermist, whether you drop it off next week or 3 years from now, when consistently kept at 0°F (-18°C) or below.
• The Large Bird Preservation Kit ($29.99) is built for Canada goose, snow goose, specklebelly, sandhill crane, swan, turkey and more.
• Hunting a lot of ducks this season? The Quad Duck Pack ($79.99) has you covered. Shooting ducks and geese both? Check out the Waterfowl Bundle.

A $25 to $30 kit protecting a mount that starts around $300 is about the easiest call you'll make all season.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to mount a duck?

A duck mount starts around $300. Most published price lists we looked at this fall had common ducks between $300 and $575, depending on species, pose and the shop.

How much does it cost to mount a goose?

On the lists we checked, snow, blue, Ross's and specklebelly geese ran about $400 to $675, and Canada geese about $475 to $1,100.

Do I have to get my bird to the taxidermist right away?

No. If your taxidermist is backed up, that's okay. The key is getting the bird frozen and protected properly. With our Duck Preservation Kit, your duck stays mount-ready whether you drop it off next week or 3 years from now, when consistently kept at 0°F (-18°C) or below.